Jurgen Neubert
Jurgen Neubert was a German farmer whose land was decimated by Count Tilly and his mercenary armies during the Thirty Years' War. Neubert became a refugee in Grantville where he became a police officer. He was usually partnered with his friend Officer Marvin Tipton. "Bottom Feeders" Neubert and Tipton were assigned by Police Chief Dan Frost to investigate the murder of Tommy Cooper, Jr. (known as "Young Tommy"), whose body was found by Freddy Genucci in his family's front lawn. Neubert and Tipton interviewed Genucci's about the previous night; Genuccis heard gunshots (he'd initially thought it was backfire from a car). However, Cooper was not shot to death, but was instead nearly decapitated. The officers were then approached by Neubert's cousins Jost Neubert and Mina Matz. Neubert learned from Jost that Tommy and his brother G.C. tried to cheat him by selling a tractor that was supposed to run on less fuel, but Fred Genucci saw through this and forced the Coopers to repay Jost. After learning this, Neubert privately discussed the possibility that Jost was the killer with Tipton, although Neubert highly doubted it. He requested Jost's knife to run tests for blood belonging to Tommy Cooper. Jost was hesitant to give it to Neubert, asserting that that he didn't kill Cooper and that chicken blood was on the knife. Neubert assured his cousin that human blood could be distinguished from chicken blood and that the tests would help clear Jost of Cooper's murder. Neubert returned to Tipton, who'd also developed doubts about Jost's guilt. Cooper's money was still on his person, and his unique Smith & Wesson .32-20 Hand Ejector revolver, which he always carried, was missing. With this information, Neubert and Tipton resolved to meet with gunsmiths Paul Santee and Henry Johnson to see if the S & W.32-20 had turned up. Before leaving the Genuccis', Neubert noticed a patch of fresh blood around Happy Hill, far away from Cooper's body which proved to be the actual murder site. As the officers examined the scene, the two founded a bullet presumably belonging to Cooper's Hand Ejector and as well a bloodied jacket that was to be too small for Cooper to wear. Deciding against visiting the gunsmiths, the officers instead went to the Coopers' residence. The family belonged to the 250 Club crowd, and didn't take kindly to Germans. There they were met with a rude welcome from G.C. Cooper, until Tipton announced Young Tommy's death to Tommy Cooper, Sr. and the entire family. The officers then interviewed G.C., stating that his brother was supposed to take G.C.'s wife Connie, a server at 250 Club, home from work at midnight the night before, but didn't. They then interviewed Connie and learned several specific people were at 250 Club while she was working. Tipton asked G.C. if he saw anything peculiar at Happy Hill, and G.C. answered that he hadn't. As the officers left, Neubert and Tipton noticed several oddities from G.C., most importantly the fact that G.C. knew his brother had been killed with a knife, even though neither officer had told him this, and that Connie always looked at her husband as if she was checking with him to see if her story was right. Neubert also learned from Tipton that he used to be friends with Tommy Cooper prior to becoming an officer which officially ended their friendship. Neubert and Tipton met with gunsmith Henry Johnson, who told them that he reloaded eighteen rounds for Young Tommy's gun, but from cases instead of making them from scratch. The officers then produced the fired bullet they found, but Johnson could not positively identify the bullet. Before leaving, Neubert learned from Tipton that he and Johnson are Freemasons. They then arrived at 250 Club and interviewed owner Ken Beasley, employees Fenton Mase, Brandy Bates, and Marlene Bates, and customer Ape Hart: according to them, Tommy played cards with Ape, his brother Monkey, and Freddie Congden. Cooper was drunk and flirtatious, finally offending Wilda Bates which led to an argument with Ape after an agitated Tommy was back-talked by Wilda. The officers also learned that after Tommy and G.C. had conned Jost Neubert, Tommy stole his brother's share of the money. Finally, they learned that Young Tommy had picked Connie up and that several eyewitness saw Connie and G.C. walking back from where Tommy was killed. The officers pieced together the truth: while taking Connie home, a drunken Tommy attempted to rape her but was killed by Connie in self-defense with her knife. Connie told G.C. of his brother's death, which G.C. tried to cut off Tommy's head and stole his gun to make it look like he was killed by someone else. Neubert and Tipton returned to the Coopers' residence where they found G.C. and Connie attempting to leave Grantville. Neubert quickly subdued G.C. and disarmed him with his baton. Connie was laid off from her job for killing Tommy in self-defense, and G.C. was sentenced to a work crew. "One Fine Day" On December 23rd, 1633, Neubert and Tipton investigated the death of Heinrich Grün, who'd been killed with a direct small explosion to the guts. Neubert recognized the man as an attendee of the Lutheran Church. But while examining the body, the officers found rosary beads, which suggested Grün was in fact Catholic. Suspicious, Neubert and Tipton learned that Grün worked for Ape and Monkey Hart, and decided to interview Pastor Kastenmayer in identifying Grün. Both officers Neubert and Tipton suspected Grün had been a spy. After meeting Kastenmayer and learned about his suspicions towards Grün, the officers intended to meet with the Hart's but only to be briefly delayed after having to escort an in labor Nancy O'Reilly to the Leahy Medical Center. However, O'Reilly gave birth to her baby boy on the way, with Neubert, who had plenty of experience delivering piglets as a farmer, delivering the child. Eventually, Neubert and Tipton discovered that Grün was actually Catholic Frenchman Henri Vert, who was hired by Italian gun-maker Giovan Antonio Beretta to spy on Grantville for information about percussion cap guns from the Hart brothers, specifically the process for making fulminate of mercury. Vert was stealing samples of mercury fulminate, but accidentally dropped them, causing an explosion that swiftly killing him. Neubert and Tipton concluded their investigation with Dan Frost and ruled Vert's death as "Death by Misadventure" (a more subtle version of "Death by Stupidity" as stated by Frost). In turn, Frost congratulated the officers for their outstanding work and made them his official investigators. Neubert and Tipton later returned to the Medical Center and asked about Nancy O'Reilly and her newborn son. The receptionist gave the news that both mother and son are doing well and that in gratitude for Neubert's help, Nancy named her baby Samuel Juergen O'Reilly. "Domestic Violence" Now official investigators, Neubert and Tipton were quickly swamped with a substantial caseload, most of which were petty. Word soon got around that Dan Frost planned to retire and that his successor would likely be Marvin Tipton. Neubert was uncomfortable with the prospect of working with a new senior partner. While working, he was called by the day dispatcher Mimi Rowland to investigate a child kidnapping at the Coopers' after Rowland lost contact with Officers Jonathan Smith and Wilhelm Kramer. Jurgen and Tipton arrived at the Coopers' residence, where he found the humorous scene of Gladys Cooper chasing Smith and Kramer with a broom. Jurgen acted to calm the scene, and he learned that Gladys claimed that the officers insulted her granddaughter, Crystal Cooper, one of the missing children. Smith and Kramer stated that they suspected that Crystal was seeing a boyfriend, which infuriated Gladys. Gladys informed Neubert that both Crystal and her brother Zachary were missing. Jurgen assured the Coopers that Smith and Kramer wouldn't file assault charges against the couple. When Old Tommy made a snide remark about the fact that "krauts" were allowed in the police force, Jurgen snapped, pointing out that Smith was English, and warning Old Tommy that he would file the assault charges if Old Tommy ever said kraut without referring to German cabbage again to Neubert's face. His anger intimated the Coopers. After Jurgen's outburst, the group were approached by the Craigs, Peggy and Marty, who were friends of Jurgen and the in-laws of the Coopers through Connie. Tensions had been high between the two families after the death of Young Tommy. After breaking up a near-fight, Tipton questioned the Craigs away from the Coopers, who told Tipton that Zachary and Crystal were actually attending a school field trip at Buffalo Creek. The children had written a note for their grandparents explaining this, but it had been torn up by Gladys after she'd received it from Connie. Tipton explained this to the very embarrassed and baffled Coopers, adding that if they read the note they wouldn't have wasted the police's time. With this information, Jurgen and Tipton went to Buffalo Creek to confirm that the younger Coopers were all right. Tipton also pointed out that Jurgen had been seen with Dawn Jenkins, the person overseeing the field trip, and implied that Neubert was in a relationship with her. Jurgen was quick to deny that he was growing infatuated with Dawn, but Tipton knew otherwise. Jurgen did finally admit his feelings for Dawn, but pointed out that he and Dawn were incompatible as he was a farmer-turned-policeman and she is a school teacher, and that Dawn was already dating Toby Snell, a soldier. When Tipton pointed out that his own wife had previously been dating another man before they were engaged, Jurgen responded that he thought taking a soldier's girl was wrong. Upon reaching Buffalo Creek, Jurgen was so obviously nervous while speaking to Dawn that Tipton took the lead. Upon learning that Zachary was present, Tipton searched for Crystal while Jurgan showed their police cruiser to Dawn and her students. The officers learned that Crystal Cooper was infatuated with Wendel Schultz. Jurgen and Tipton returned to the station with their wasted case closed, but learned of another disturbance from the Craigs' residence. The two returned to the Coopers' and found a fracas involving forty people, many of them from the 250 Club, including Ape Hart, Slater Dobbs, Ronnie Murray, G.C. Cooper, Marty Craig and Wendel Schultz. The officers broke the fight up and learned from Ape Hart that he and the 250 Club patrons had overheard the "kidnapping" from their C.B. radio at the tavern and mistakenly believed Schultz had kidnapped Crystal. Tipton explained the truth to Ape, but G.C., supporting Tipton's claims, engaged Ape in another fight. Jurgen attempted to stop the renewed fight, but a drunken Monkey Hart immediately struck out at G.C., and was promptly beaten down by G.C. Ape tried to strike G.C., but was incapacitated and then arrested by Jurgen. After the fight was broken up, Jurgen and Tipton reported to Frost. Schultz decided not to file charges against the patrons as they were too drunk and already foolish to take on the rather combative Schultz; the only charges were filed by Effie Craig because the mob had trampled her flower bed. Disturbing the peace and assault charges were filed against Ape, Monkey and G.C. Only Ronnie Murray was charged with public intoxication. When Frost raised his concerns over the Cooper's relations with Wendell, Jürgen happily answered that G.C. became affably respectful towards the German Wendell for protecting his daughter and consented to Wendel dating Crystal. Category:1632 Characters Category:Germans Category:Police Officers Category:Lutherans Category:Farmers Category:POVs